Dear Friends,
Today's Update features Lulworth Castle in Dorset, and the wonderful countryside that surrounds it. But, there's lots more to talk about, including several new features on the Britain Express website, a new tour, and a batch of travel news. Let's get to it!
David Ross, Publisher

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Lulworth Castle
near Wareham, Dorset, England

The castle was begun in 1608 as a hunting lodge by Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Blindon. Howard was a favourite of James I, and it is rumoured that he hoped to build a grand lodge modeled on a medieval castle so that he could invite that monarch to come hunting on the Isle of Purbeck.

In 1641 the estate of Lulworth was purchased by Humphrey Weld, and the Weld family has lived there ever since. During the 18th and 19th centuries the interior of the house was remodeled several times, turning it into an ornate country home.

The exteror of the castle is plain, and bereft of decorative touches, as befits a mock medieval castle. The round towers at the corners of the straightforward square building rise to four stories, providing excellent views of the surrounding countryside and coast.

Lulworth Castle was gutted by fire in 1929, but in the 1970s an ambitious rebuilding plan took place with the aid of English Heritage, allowing the exterior of the castle to be restored to the condition it enjoyed the day before the fire. The restoration project has been the recipient of an award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors for excellence in building conservation.

In the grounds of Lulworth Castle is the Catholic Church of St. Mary, built in 1786. According to Weld family legend, they were only allowed to build the church if it did not look like a church! So they built a domed neo-classical structure that looks much like the allegorical temples much in vogue during the late 18th century. Within the church are four half-domed apsidal wings and a marble alatar brought from Rome.

The area around Lulworth is a geologist's dream, featuring some of the finest geomorphology and folding strata in Europe. Near the castle is Lulworth Cove, a horseshoe shaped harbour that supports a remarkable array of diverse natural life, particularly butterflies. Lulworth even has its own butterfly species, the Lulworth Skipper, discovered near Durdle Door in 1832.

Lulworth Cove

At the western point of Lulworth Cove is Stair Hole, a series of arches formed by the action of the sea on the soft Portland and Purbeck limestone.

The importance of Lulworth as a natural habitat and area of geologic importance has been recognized by its designation as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and Heritage Coast. This diversity can be explored in the Heritage Centre, which offers educational material as well as providing excellent views of the Cove.

Visitors can enjoy walks along the cliff tops, and at low tide the beach and tidal pools can be explored. During the summer months guided boat trips between Lulworth and Gad Cliff allow visitors to examine the remarkable scenery and features of geological interest. Just to the west of Lulworth Cove is the natural arch of Durdle Door.

LOCATION
Lulworth Castle
East Lulworth
Wareham
Dorset
BH20 5QS
Telephone: +44 (0)1929 400352
Fax: +44 (0)1929 400563
E-mail: estate.office@lulworth.com
Web: http://www.lulworth.com/

OPENING DETAILS
Open Sunday to Friday plus Easter Saturday. Closed Christmas Eve & Day. 27th March 01 to 26th October 01 10.30am-6.00pm 28th October 01 to 26th March 02 10.30am-4.00pm

ACCESSIBILITY: Castle is partly suitable for wheelchairs. WC.

ENTRY: fee charged

The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval and Tudor England: Day Trips South of London

by Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble

The Amateur Historians enjoy their work, and it shows. This volume, the second in the series, describes a wide variety of historic places to visit within a short journey of London, focussing on the counties of Surrey, Sussex, and Kent.

The book begins with a timeline of the medieval period in England, which offers handy details not normally found in a straightforward list of monarchs. Following this is a section of travel tips, all good advice, and worth noting for foreign visitors. A short but enjoyable account of the early history of the South East follows, but then the Amateur Historians get down to the task at hand; exploring their favourite nooks and cranies of south-eastern England.

Some these locations are well-known, such as Canterbury Cathedal and Dover Castle. Other locations are well-of the beaten tourist track, such as Watts' Charity, a 16th century hostel for impoverished travellers in Rochester, Kent, or The Old Cloth Hall, an inn in Cranbrook, Kent, where Queen Elizabeth I ate in 1573. It is in these excursions into the relative backwaters of the region that the book shines, uncovering out of the way, fascinating places to visit, places with a historical tale to tell.

The book is liberally strewn with "Did you know" sidebars; little snippets of historical trivia that help make this much more lively and full of interest than a run-of-the-mill travel guide.

The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval and Tudor England: Day Trips South of London is a fascinating excursion into the past, and deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone planning to venture beyond the boundaries of London. The book is available in North America through Amazon.com

Bennett Trail in Stoke
The centenary of Arnold Bennett's novel, Anna of the Five Towns, is being marked in Stoke-on-Trent with a leaflet, Bennett's Bursley Trail, from the local tourist office (tel. 01782 236000). Many of the places he wrote about in The Potteries, Central England, are still to be seen. Web site: http://www.stoke.gov.uk/tourism.

Museums month extended
More than 700 special events are planned as part of Museums and Galleries Month in Britain, held throughout May. Half of them relate to Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, or royal history, and this annual festival has been extended until June 4 to include the Jubilee weekend. 1,500 museums will take part nation-wide. Web site: http://www.may2002.org.uk.

Snail Derby in Jamers Herriot Country
"All Creatures Great and Small" author, the late James Herriot, would approve. Watching snails racing in the Snail Derby is just one of the less energetic activities on offer in North Yorkshire this spring. From June 1-9 a week of special events is planned to celebrate the countryside and attractions around James Herriot's town of Thirsk.

Activities include:

• An animal fun day and dog show
• 1950's Garden party
• Snail derby at Falconry UK
• Scarecrow making and a scarecrow trail

James Herriot was pen-name of the late author and vet Alf Wright whose semi-autobiographical stories are set around the town of Thirsk, 224 miles north of London. Tel. 01845 522755. Website: http://www.herriotdaysout.co.uk

100 British Arts Festivals
If you travel in Britain at any time between late April and early November, there will be at least one arts festival in progress somewhere in the country.

Arts Festival 2002, a website, and a leaflet produced by the British Arts Festivals Association lists more than 100 of them. They include many long-established festivals, such as:

• Brighton (May 4-26),
• Bath International Music (May 17 - June 3),
• Aldeburgh (June 7-23),
• Edinburgh International (Aug.11-31)
• The Three Choirs Festival (Aug.17-23) which celebrates its 275th anniversary in Worcester.

Some festivals concentrate mainly on one aspect of the arts:

• Buxton (July 9-21) stages five full-scale operas in the refurbished Opera House;
• Ludlow (June 22 - July 7) centres on open-air performances of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at the castle.
• Winchester Hat Fair (July 5-7) claims to be Britain's longest running festival of street theatre, this year with over 40 companies from many countries.

Website: http://www.artsfestivals.co.uk

150 Years of Royal Balmoral
Balmoral has been in the news of late, due to its association with the late Queen Mother, but there is more reason to visit this Scottish castle. As well as being the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, 2002 is also the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, buying the Balmoral estate beside Scotland's River Dee. Since then, six British monarchs as well as various foreign royalty and dignitaries have stayed at Balmoral Castle.

It immediately became a favourite royal holiday home. "Every year my heart becomes more fixed in this dear paradise" wrote Victoria in 1856. Balmoral Castle's grounds are open to the public annually from April to July, and visitors can see an exhibition of royal items in the Ballroom.

Now visitors can explore the area with the aid of a new sign-posted Victorian Heritage Trail and Guide published by Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board and available at local tourist information centres. The 100-mile trail around the Dee valley passes a variety of places with royal links.

Other places on the trail include:

• Crathie Church, where the Royal Family attends services
• Royal Lochnagar Distillery, which was visited by Victoria and Albert
• The Old Royal Station, Ballater, used by the Royal Family for nearly a century until the closure of the line from Aberdeen
• 13th century Drum Castle
• Braemar, famed for its Royal Highland Gathering, held on the first Saturday in September.

Victorian Heritage is one of four trails, which can be followed in this part of Scotland - the others cover castles, whisky, and the coastline. Website: http://www.castlesandwhisky.com

That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.

David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
http://www.britainexpress.com
The UK travel and heritage guide

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